Students from all over Serbia are marching to Belgrade for a decisive protest against Vucic. However, government supporters are waiting for them there. Some of them - well-paid, as journalistic investigations have revealed.
Tension is in the air between the Serbian parliament and the presidency in Belgrade. This Saturday is where the biggest protest of the student movement is planned since the demonstrations began in early November.
At the same time, however, another group, calling itself "Students Who Want to Learn", has set up a protest camp. They want university classes to resume no later than March 17. Unlike the student movement that has been driving the protests for several months, "Students 2.0" has a leader, Miloš Pavlović. He first came to public attention when he spoke at a counter-protest organized by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SPP). Since then, Pavlović has regularly appeared on state-run television alongside President Aleksandar Vučić and other senior party members.
"A staged trap"?
According to Jelena Kleut, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad, this is "a staged trap that aims to mirror the student blockade". Kleut believes that it is most likely organized by the regime. "When the politicized system fails to take over the institutions, parallel structures emerge. "We already have parallel media, NGOs and now a parallel student movement," the professor commented.
In recent days, the camp of "Students Who Want to Study" has been visited by numerous SPS officers, and they are joined by former members of the disbanded special operations unit, whose commanders were convicted of war crimes and political assassinations during the Yugoslav Wars. Some users on social media even claim that some of those present at this camp are not students at all, but civil servants. "Free Europe" reports that Kosovo Serbs have also joined the counter-blockade, and according to the media outlet, they receive a daily rate to be there.
Casting for protesters
Journalist from the local N1 television station Mladen Savatović confirms this information - he has contacted a woman who is believed to be recruiting "extras" about the "student camp". Savatovic pretended to be a 28-year-old man looking for work. The woman, who introduced herself as Milena, told him that he could earn 50 euros or more - depending on whether he "played" a student or an older supporter. "It was like a casting. He told me that he wanted to see how I looked so that he would know where to place me. He talked about big money and a serious organization", Savatovic told DW.
When he revealed that he was a journalist, the Milena in question refused to talk to him anymore. "What I was unable to reach must now be investigated by the authorities," says Savatovic. "They need to question her and find out who is behind this and what his goal is. Judging by previous similar cases, however, I deeply doubt that the authorities will intervene."
A turning point this Saturday?
Students from all over Serbia are continuing their march to Belgrade, where they are to join the mass protest. Hundreds of thousands are expected to take part. The students have already walked hundreds of kilometers, talking to people from various cities along the way and spreading their demands. The march passed through the three largest cities after the capital - Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš. In the last week alone, the NGO Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability reports 410 separate protests across the country.
Many believe that the big protest this Saturday will be a turning point, after which nothing will be the same again. Professor Kleut is skeptical. "It is possible that we will achieve a record for the largest protest in Belgrade, which will show how strong the movement is. In that sense, it could be a historic day. But I don't think there will be a turning point after which everything changes and there will be a major political upheaval."
Can violence be prevented?
The government appears to be working to thwart the large protest, or at least reduce its attendance. On Friday morning, bomb threats were reported on train lines, leading to the suspension of trains on Friday and Saturday. Vucic is trying to intimidate students, repeatedly warning of the danger of violence and threatening the "culprits" with consequences. "We have a state and we will show you what that means," he said.
However, the students have never called for violence and have appealed to the Interior Ministry to "remove the groups posing as students" so that there are no clashes. The protesters at the University of Novi Sad issued a statement: "Students have never attacked citizens, broken their jaws, run over people with cars, and have never justified any violence. The students want the law to be respected, for institutions and justice to exist."
The next moves of the protesters are not yet clear
According to Professor Kleut, it is important whether the government will address the large protest by making concessions - for example, by demanding the resignation of Chief Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac.
If this does not happen, according to Kleut, the ball will once again be in the students' hands. The organizers of the protests are proposing the creation of a citizens' council. However, the idea has not achieved much success so far. "Some students are discussing the possibility of an interim government - of trust, they want the current government to step down, the police to respond to requests for an investigation into the incident in Novi Sad and to prepare fair elections," says the professor.
The idea of a transitional or expert government is not new and has actually been circulating for months. Some opposition parties and informal groups have already proposed it. For now, however, the student councils, which are believed to have the greatest public support, are holding all discussions on the strategy after March 15 behind closed doors.